Chapters
Hello, Mentalina! Did you rest well? I hope so. It's a brand new day!
Mentalina remained silent. Although she didn't feel aversion towards ponies, she didn't feel a great affection for them either. However, the particular pony who was talking to her had been greeting her in the same way all week. She had ignored her at first, but now she was starting to wonder if she was actually a good person, just like her previous owner had been.
"You know, the leaves I took from you yesterday helped me a lot to recover. I hope it didn't hurt you to have them taken away."
Mentalina couldn't have refused. She also didn't have any way to prevent it. Losing leaves was common among plants of her species. And the ones she lost were so old and heavy that she was grateful they were gone.
"I really feel brand new. And as a thank you, today you'll have extra nutrient water," the pony said cheerfully as she sprayed water onto the stem and leaves of the plant.
Mentalina liked the attention to detail that pony took. Not many knew that she preferred the use of a sprayer instead of being directly given water. The other caretakers hadn't been as considerate with her.
"Well, it's time for me to start my work. I'll go greet your cousin. See you tonight."
Mentalina didn't understand those last words. She didn't have cousins. She knew the meaning of that word, but she didn't believe it applied to someone of her species.
Shortly after, the sentient plant sensed that the earth pony who had been taking care of her had left.
Mentalina had a feeling. Her previous owner had taught her that kindness should be reciprocated in the same way. If she took the whole day, perhaps she could surprise that considerate pony.
Aguamelon trotted slowly towards the library reception. She had just finished watering the last of Mindmet's flowerpots, completing all her morning tasks. Although she was used to carrying out her tasks alone, there were moments when she wished she had a loyal assistant to help her keep track of her daily tasks. She didn't think her memory was failing her, but she couldn't help but wonder if she had forgotten something.
"Should I double-check for the third time?" The anxious pony stopped to reflect halfway there. But she quickly dismissed the idea. Leaving a task unfinished would be a problem, but not arriving on time would be an even bigger problem.
She quickened her trot and soon arrived at the reception. She swiftly checked her appearance in the mirror near her seat. Her lemon-colored mane was as neatly groomed as always. But her light melon-colored coat looked a bit pale. She had been sick the previous day and after taking medicine at night, she had woken up feeling better. There wasn't much she could do about it except wait for her color to return to normal, so she ignored that detail. Finally, she adjusted her glasses and her pink bow. She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded. She was ready now.
The clock in the grand Golden Half library solemnly struck 9 in the morning. Aguamelon took her seat and rang the welcoming bell that announced the opening of that section of the library. Soon, all the ponies waiting for assistance would flood her with their requests and inquiries. The backlog of overdue books and search requests would continue until the end of the day.
Yes, that's how it should have been in the past.
Aguamelon smiled in an empty and silent room. There was no pony waiting. There hadn't been any pony waiting all that week.
The library wasn't going through a good time. Despite being the largest in all of Yeguadelfia, the number of visitors had dangerously decreased in the past year, and shortly after the partial closure due to maintenance of the main wings was announced, practically all visits had ceased. Only the youth wing was operational. And that was the one she was taking care of. Aguamelon leaned back bored at her desk. Apart from the occasional visits of some couples who came just to chat in the common room and the mischiefs of some foals, nothing relevant had happened. It wasn't so bad for her; she had access to the entire collection of books in the city, even the forbidden books section. However, the lack of visitors left her with a feeling of sadness. When she was a foal, she remembered how those halls were filled with the laughter of her classmates and their secret adventures.
The effects of the medicine she had taken last night were still present, combined with the tranquility of the place, and she soon fell asleep.
A dream of laughter gently crossed her face. There was a lot of ice cream scattered like snow among the trees. She soon saw her friends from Ponyville in the distance, having a picnic and playing poker with three bears.
"Hey, girls, what are you doing here?" she said as she approached them.
"We're playing poker here," replied one of the bears, who had a polar bear appearance.
Baffled, Aguamelon had nothing to respond to that. Then, a blue butterfly landed on her nose and asked, "Hey, shouldn't you be awake?"
"ACHOO!" Aguamelon sneezed loudly throughout the room. She quickly stood up and looked around in panic.
There was no one there. Aguamelon sighed in relief and took a seat.
"PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" echoed throughout the library wing, leaving Aguamelon completely frozen at her desk. It didn't take much imagination to know where that vulgar sound was coming from.
"Hehehe. Hahaha." laughter filled the room afterwards.
Annoyed, Aguamelon stood up and removed the prank from her seat. She already knew who was responsible. "KIT, LIA! I know you're there, come out right now," she exclaimed indignantly.
A pair of unicorn foals emerged from behind one of the flowerpots in the room. One had a red hat, and the other had a blue hat.
"Hello, Mr. Melon. How's your day going?" asked the foal with the red hat, laughing.
"Yeah, how are you? You look very handsome today!" added the foal with the blue hat, practically crying with laughter.
Confused, Aguamelon looked at herself in the mirror again. There were noticeable marker marks on her face that gave her the appearance of having a mustache and chin. That was the most basic prank in the book, and Aguamelon had fallen unsuspectingly for it.
"You two...!" Aguamelon turned around now genuinely annoyed. But the pair of siblings were already disappearing through one of the entrances of the room.
Once again, the room fell silent. Aguamelon looked disheartened at the other doodles on her desk and the walls of the reception area. She wasn't a unicorn to magically clean up that mess. It would take her a while to clean everything. The earth pony sighed wearily. When she was young, she played pranks on her elders too, but never on the library custodian. That was a serious violation of conduct rules. This time, those kids had gone too far, and something had to be done about it. She was the only one who could do something, quite literally the only one on duty in that place. As she lifted her gaze, she observed the large mosaic adorning the top of the room. There was the figure of a majestic white alicorn handing a golden book to an emerald-colored pony. "I swear by Celestia and Dayan Melody. I have to discipline them. I don't know how, but I must do it for the sake of those kids," Aguamelon told herself as she wiped off the marks on her face. Her determination grew stronger when she discovered that the marker the foals had used was one that didn't come off with just water and soap.
It was a peaceful morning for Dr. Kidney at the Golden Half library. He was enjoying a delicious cup of jasmine tea while reading the morning newspaper. There was no significant news that day, except for an announcement about an auction of antique coats and the disappointing pumpkin harvest results throughout the region. It was just another day.
"Could it be some kind of plague?" the doctor wondered, trying to fuel his imagination after reading the article about the poor harvest. Although he wasn't someone drawn to disasters, pumpkins had always been his favorite food for dinner.
Just as he was about to pour himself a third cup of tea, a pitiful sound caught his attention. Coming from the main entrance of the communal hall, there was a small unicorn wearing a blue hat, crying inconsolably. Without thinking too much, the doctor, being the only person present in the room, quickly approached the girl.
"What's the matter, little one? Why are you crying?" the doctor asked.
"Sniff, sniff... a boy said my drawings were... ugly!" the filly said between tears as she showed her sketchbook to the doctor.
"Oh," was all the doctor said as he looked at her scribbles. They weren't ugly, but the doctor wasn't sure what exactly the girl had drawn.
"And... sniff... the boy also tore up my other notebook. BOOHOOOO!" the filly cried, pulling out another notebook torn in half.
"How terrible! Okay, okay, it's over now, calm down, little one," said Dr. Kidney, trying to comfort the girl. However, the girl seemed to have an unlimited supply of tears to accompany her constant sobbing. Without much thought, the doctor did what any kind-hearted adult would do in such a situation to resolve the issue.
The doctor went to the gift items counter and, using his personal key as an honorary library member, unlocked it. He took a basket of sweets and a light blue notebook with golden edges from there.
"Here you go, little one. It's a new book for your drawings. And here are some pumpkin candies to sweeten the bad moment," said the doctor as he handed the notebook and the basket of sweets to the filly.
"Thank you very much... sniff, sniff," said the filly, trying to disguise her tears with a slight smile.
"Alright, now tell me, where is that boy who tore up your notebook?"
"He left a while ago... I had never seen him before," the filly replied.
"I see. Are you accompanied?"
"No, I came alone to do my drawings because it's quieter here," the filly answered, wiping her tears with a tissue.
"I see," said Dr. Kidney. The girl's story made sense and didn't raise any suspicion in him. The colt she mentioned was likely the same one the library caretaker had warned him about, saying he had been causing mischief during that week.
"It would be better to go to the caretaker, Aguamelon, and inform her about your case," the doctor suggested to the girl.
"Don't worry. I'm already going home," the filly said hastily. "Take a gift as a thank you for being so kind to me, sir."
At that moment, a drawing magically slipped out of the filly's notebook and landed in Dr. Kidney's hands. It was a somewhat distorted drawing of a white pony with a red mane and a face divided between white and black.
"It's not necessary, little one, but I insist..." Dr. Kidney didn't finish his sentence as he realized that the innocent girl he had comforted had hurriedly left without saying goodbye. Feeling somewhat confused, the doctor sighed, tucked the drawing into his coat, and proceeded to close the gift counter. He then stored his heavy key in one of his pockets and returned to his seat.
Nothing else happened that morning. At noon, he decided to leave. He didn't find caretaker Aguamelon at her station, so he left a written note on her desk. As he exited the library, for some reason, he felt lighter. He simply thought it was due to the new hat his wife had bought him. With a slight smile, he walked towards his workplace.
Kit trotted as loudly as possible through the closed corridors of the Golden Half library. There was no one working on the renovations or any adults nearby, so he didn't care about making as much noise as he wanted. This was his territory now. No, it had always been his. His wealthy family was a joint owner of the library grounds. And now that the current owner of the library had handed over the remaining papers of the property to his family, practically everything was his.
The young colt with the red hat stopped and looked at the gigantic plant pot in the middle of the hallway. He snorted, annoyed that even those antiques were still there. He passed by it with a trot that reflected all his childish arrogance. He could already imagine the electronic games that would replace it and the commercial stores filled with toys and sweets.
Then a leaf, as large as a book, detached itself from the plant pot and smacked him in the face.
"You stupid plant!" Kit angrily insulted the pot.
Obviously, that provocation received no response.
"I'll chop you up and sell you as fodder!" the colt announced, preparing his horn with a sharp light. In an instant, the magic shot out, directly towards one of the smaller green leaves of the plant. It was a clean cut, and the tender leaf fell to the cold floor.
Emboldened, the young unicorn marched arrogantly over the fallen leaf. That plant had no way to defend itself, or so he believed.
Suddenly, a breeze came from one of the corridors. Perhaps it was the accumulated dust in the place, but a sudden tickle began to fill the colt's nose. "Achoo, achoo, achoo."
Attacked by that sudden allergy, the spoiled white-haired colt had no choice but to retreat.
"Burrrp," the rude burp echoed in the room where Kit had entered.
"You're dirty!" Kit shouted at the young unicorn mare with purple and cream mane who was reclining on one of the tables in the room, eating candies.
"So is your tail," Lia retorted indecently.
"So is yours," Kit replied, sticking out his tongue.
"Your mouth too... so what?" Lia responded with a cold gaze.
"...I don't know," Kit surrendered with a stupid look in the face of his sister's gaze.
Both colts burst into laughter. As a sign of reconciliation, Lia handed her brother the candies from her basket, which he immediately started eating. Lia, on the other hand, leaped onto a pile of books and began casually leafing through them with her magic. Taking as many pages as she pleased, she magically stuck them together until they took the shape of a pony leg. With that paper limb, she connected it to a pony body made of the same material at the other end of the room. It was a sculpture that would horrify anyone who loved books. But in Lia's eyes, it was as beautiful as a noble unicorn prince.
"You're done. It looks awesome! But isn't its tail too long?" Kit asked, examining the back of the sculpture.
"Its tail is perfect," Lia replied with a mischievous smile. Kit didn't argue with her; he didn't like it when his sister got weird.
Lia paid no attention to her brother as she observed the face of her artwork. She added more black and red tempera to the divided-face sculpture's head and stepped back to admire her work with satisfaction.
"Hey, were you able to get into the forbidden room?" Lia suddenly asked.
"No, the Mr. Kidney's key doesn't work," Kit said, throwing Dr. Kidney's heavy key onto the table. It had been stolen from him that morning.
"That's too bad! Now what do we do, Kit?" Lia innocently asked.
Kit didn't have an answer to that. Several more minutes passed, and there was no response. Growing bored with her brother's slowness, Lia started throwing darts at a picture of a pony that was stuck on the wall.
Kit seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"Ahem," Lia huffed, throwing another dart at the wall. Kit seemed to have the same alertness as a plant.
"Ahemmmmm," Lia huffed more forcefully. Finally, Kit noticed the photo of the pony that his sister was throwing darts at.
"Ahaaa, I've got it, Lia! Let's take the keys from the caretaker lady!" Kit said cheerfully.
"Yes, yes! What a great idea!" Lia responded with a smile.
"But... she's already mad at us," Kit paused, worried.
"Don't worry, I'll handle that," Lia said with an even bigger smile.
In one of the library's hallways, Aguamelon returned tiredly to her receptionist desk after finishing organizing all the cleaning supplies she had needed to clean up the mischief Kit and Lia had caused in the morning.
"These kids... where could they be?" Aguamelon wondered to herself, wiping some sweat off her forehead with a towel.
Then, a pitiful sound caught her attention. At the other end of the hallway, one of the colts she had been thinking about was crying inconsolably.
"What's wrong, Lia? Why are you crying?" Aguamelon asked, concerned, as she approached Lia.
"Sniff, sniff... my brother said that my drawings were... ugly!" the filly said between tears, while an anything but innocent smile hid inside her.
In one of the study rooms at the Golden Half library.
"Gifts, think about gifts! Think about the wonderful gifts you received on your birthday!" Lia thought desperately, sitting on a bench, trying to distract herself to avoid falling asleep in the middle of the sermon she was receiving.
In front of her, the supervisor AguamelĂłn kept talking about friendship, respect, discipline... and other topics that didn't matter to her.
"What nonsense..." thought the young filly, adjusting her posture.
Bored, completely bored. How did an adult mare become so boring? Lia wondered while pretending to pay attention.
"I feel so sorry... could it be that her parents were just as boring?" Lia thought. A sudden chill ran down her spine as she imagined how miserable her life would be if she had also been born into such a boring family.
"Rubberlia, are you listening?" AguamelĂłn asked, seeing Lia shake her head.
"Yes, friendship is magical!" Lia exclaimed involuntarily.
"I wasn't talking about friendship but about the respect you should show to others, especially your elders. It's part of..." AguamelĂłn continued speaking, futilely. After just one sentence, Lia had once again stopped paying attention.
Lia rolled her eyes with disinterest. This was getting tiresome. Where was Kit?
Before being dragged into the torture she was experiencing, Lia and her brother Kit had planned to carry out the biggest mischief of all: stealing the master keys from Supervisor AguamelĂłn and entering the forbidden section of the library.
It was a daring plan, but Lia was confident that she could distract AguamelĂłn enough while her brother stealthily entered her private office and took the keys from her desk. Kit was skilled at cutting objects; opening the desk drawers shouldn't be a problem for him. However...
"That fool..." Lia thought, worried that Kit might be taking too long. Her brother had a good talent with magic, but sometimes he was too absent-minded.
"Uff," AguamelĂłn sighed, stopping her speech. She turned around, poured herself a glass of water, and proceeded to drink it immediately. For a moment, Lia was relieved, thinking that the torture had finally ended. However, suddenly, Supervisor AguamelĂłn turned around and, with a very serious look, said something Lia hadn't been expecting.
"I'm sorry, Lia. I didn't want it to come to this, but you leave me no choice. I'll have to talk to your parents about your misbehavior. I hope you understand it's for your own good."
Lia blinked and then exploded.
"UNDERSTAND WHAT!?" exclaimed Lia indignantly. In one leap, she left the seat where she was and stood firmly in front of the supervisor. The entire facade of the innocent girl she had maintained up to that moment disappeared in an instant. Very surprised, AguamelĂłn tried to respond, but before she could say a word, Lia continued.
"EXCUSE ME, MISS AGUAMELĂN. PERHAPS YOU DON'T KNOW, BUT MY PARENTS ARE THE CURRENT OWNERS OF THE GOLDEN HALF LIBRARY. THEY ARE THE PONIES TO WHOM 'YOU' OWE 'YOUR JOB,' AND CERTAINLY, THEY ARE VERY BUSY TO WELCOME A STRANGE PONY THAT NOBODY KNOWS. SO, PLEASE, COULD YOU END THIS THEATRE OF THE GREAT MORALITY TEACHER AND LET ME GO?" the young filly finished with a piercing look and an air of superiority totally inappropriate for someone her age.
The atmosphere in the narrow room was tense. AguamelĂłn did not respond immediately; she remained still, with wide-open eyes for a moment. Then, she took her glass of water and finished drinking from it without looking away, closed her eyes, and sighed.
"This is very disappointing, Rubberlia, truly very disappointing," AguamelĂłn finally responded with a grave tone.
"Do I disappoint you? What are you talking about? Who are you to...?" Lia said but was interrupted.
"I thought I was wrong, but now I know I am right," AguamelĂłn continued in a thoughtful tone, then turned her gaze back to Lia. "I will talk to your parents early tomorrow; you and your brother must also be present."
"YOU...!" Lia exploded in anger again. But before she could finish her words, a sudden object whizzed past her side, interrupting her.
"OW!" AguamelĂłn shouted in pain; a tiny dart had hit her right flank, and she quickly removed it with her tail. "A sleep-inducing dart? But where...?"
Supervisor AguamelĂłn did not finish her words; suddenly, she staggered as if an invisible force were pushing her. With a growing dizziness that began to take hold of her, the young supervisor tried to approach Lia while dragging her limbs that were starting to fall asleep.
"Lia... go to the first aid kit... quickly! I have..." AguamelĂłn spoke interruptedly with a great effort to stay conscious. Lia watched with panic as the supervisor gave her last words before collapsing on the floor.
A chilling silence enveloped the room. Lia, who until a moment ago had been furious with Supervisor AguamelĂłn, now only observed her with a stunned expression, still unable to understand what was happening.
"Wow, the supervisor is really tough! That dart would have put a manticore to sleep in a blink," exclaimed Kit, entering the room carrying a large blowgun.
"Wait, what?! Did you shoot that dart?" asked Lia astonished, seeing her brother with the weapon.
"Yes! Incredible, right? The supervisor had one in her office, also spears, swords, and crossbows. Can you believe it? Crossbows!" Kit exclaimed excitedly.
"Is she...?" Lia asked shakily.
"Asleep like a snail!" Kit happily replied.
Lia wasn't joyful; she was in panic. Her small but agile mind was trying to process everything that was happening; her imagination was already running wild with the terrible consequences of her brother's irresponsible actions. Playing pranks with markers on the supervisor was one thing; attacking her with a potentially deadly weapon was another.
"WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN SHE WAKES UP? WHAT IF WE GET ACCUSED?! IF OTHERS FIND OUT!" Lia shouted to herself with growing panic.
What was happening now was precisely what Supervisor AguamelĂłn had warned her about at the beginning of her sermon that could happen if they continued with their pranks and dangerous games. Although Aguamelon believed that Lia would never go this far, she couldn't say the same for Kit. So Aguamelon warned Lia that she needed to control her brother more or reprimand him if he went too far.
Of course, Lia was not willing to heed such advice and downplayed them by saying that her brother was more responsible than she was and that it was the supervisor who was underestimating him.
Certainly, that was true; she had been underestimating him too...
Lia exhaled successively, her mane swaying with her breath. In front of her, Kit aimed the blowgun in all directions, fantasizing that he was in the midst of a hunt.
On the floor, the body of Supervisor AguamelĂłn remained motionless.
"CALM DOWN, EVERYTHING IS FINE, IT'S NOT SERIOUS, MOM AND DAD SHOULD NOT FIND OUT ABOUT THIS. NO ONE SHOULD FIND OUT ABOUT THIS! AND NO ONE KNOWS. EVERYTHING IS FINE!" Lia repeated to herself, showing a false calm smile.
"Lia, are you okay? You look a bit shaken, sister," worriedly said Kit, noticing the sweat dripping from Lia's forehead.
In response to Kit's innocent words, Lia's false smile broke. A face so full of fury appeared on her that made Kit jump back.
"AM I OKAY?! AM I OKAY?! YOU, YOU...!" Lia snorted like a volcano about to erupt. But she restrained herself, turned around with a face twisted from the effort of keeping her emotions under control, then closed her eyes for a moment and let out her fury in a long sigh.
"Uhmm, sister...?" said Kit, scared, looking at Lia's back.
"Nothing, everything's fine!" Lia replied with a forced smile, but with her emotions still suppressed. She still wanted to scold Kit, but she knew that wouldn't change anything. Kit was her dear younger brother, her soulmate, her flank companion, her golden horseshoe. She really cared about him a lot, and it was precisely on occasions like this, when things went wrong, that she had to behave like an older sister and be there for him. Yes, because that's what older siblings who truly care about their younger siblings do.
However, even with such noble feelings for her brother, things wouldn't magically resolve.
"Okay, let's do this. Help me take the supervisor to her room, alright?" Lia said, already determined with a plan in mind.
Kit looked at her confused.
"Why?" he asked somewhat puzzled.
"Leaving her here would look suspicious," Lia responded somewhat impatiently.
"Suspicious, why?" Kit repeated.
"Because she's passed out here since you shot a dart at her..." Lia responded somewhat impatient and annoyed.
"Ahh, right..." Kit replied with the expression of someone remembering some distant memory. "... wait, was that wrong? Why?"
By that point, Lia's patience had already reached alarmingly low levels. With a twist of her horn, she magically grabbed a pencil from the desk and snapped it in half. The raw crack of the pencil breaking echoed in the room.
Kit, nervous, swallowed.
"Haaaaa, yes, you're right! Let's go! We need to take the supervisor to her room right away!" Kit exclaimed with a fake smile, as if everything were under control.
"Exactly. Let's go," confirmed Lia, calmer and also with a smile.
The pair of siblings jointly lifted Supervisor AguamelĂłn's body with their magic and placed her as best as they could on a rolling desk. After several struggles, accompanied by Lia's shouts of caution, Kit and his sister managed to maneuver the desk with the unconscious supervisor into the hallway. And although they had accidentally bumped her head several times during the transfer, the unconscious Supervisor AguamelĂłn hadn't reacted.
"Phew, finally. Now we just have to take her to her room," Lia exclaimed hopefully.
"Uhmmm," Kit responded dejected.
"What's wrong now?" Lia replied tiredly.
"Well, it's just... uhmmm," Kit hesitated, unsure of how to talk to his sister.
"Come on, if you have something to say, just say it already," Lia exclaimed impatiently.
"Well... where is her room?" Kit asked, looking down the ends of the hallway.
Lia opened her mouth and froze. She didn't know either.
âUgh, I'm so tiredâŚ!â Lia complained to the sky, with large drops of sweat rolling down her forehead. It seemed as if she had just participated in a marathon.
âMe too, the manager is really such a pain,â added Kit, no less disheveled than his sister.
The two siblings trotted wearily through one of the dimly lit hallways of the Golden Half Library. They had just âdealt withâ Manager Melonwater in one of the rooms in that wing of the library. It wasnât the room where Melonwater usually slept, but it was the most comfortable one they could find at the moment.
No matter how hard they searched the library, they couldnât find the managerâs room. After many attempts, they had no choice but to leave her in a royal guest suite.
âI hope this worksâŚâ thought Lia, looking down and dragging her hooves.
Lia had set a small trap for Melonwater when she woke up. It wasnât something new for her; she had already devised similar schemes to get rid of those who bothered her or her brother. If everything went as usual, she wouldnât have to worry about anything that had happened.
HoweverâŚ
âEverything will be fine! Trust your star, Ruberlia!â Lia tried to reassure herself. Melonwaterâs severe gaze still lingered in her thoughts, along with the doubt whether this trick would work again this time.
Suddenly, from the bright other end of the long hallway, a fresh breeze came along with the unmistakable murmur of falling water.
The siblings looked at each other and immediately remembered with joy what awaited them at the other end of the hallway.
âLast one there is rotten hay!â whinnied Lia before dashing off at full gallop. She left her brother and all the fatigue she had shown until then behind.
âWait for meeee!â Kit responded, trying to catch up with his sister.
Lia and Kit ran towards the bright light at the end of the hallway. After a few seconds of faint blindness from the intense sunlight surrounding them, the white walls of the magnificent room they had entered welcomed them.
A large glass dome rose on the ceiling of the room, displaying the clear blue afternoon sky. Statues of wise unicorns holding candles surrounded the walls of the vaulted circular hall, accompanied by beautifully crafted wooden balconies. Staircases descended along the walls, connecting the four floors of the library, down to the marble floor, where there was a large bowl-shaped fountain spilling water from all sides.
It was a richly decorated hall, a testament to the libraryâs glorious past. Any visitor would be dazzled by the magnificent architecture or by the striking fountain made from a single piece of jade crystal, shining as if it poured out the living light of the sun.
This meeting point within the library was called the 'Heavenly Cup' and was designed to be a place of recreation for visitors, a worthy spot to chat with friends or spend time away from work, casually reading a book on one of its benches.
However, at that moment, for Lia, it was the best place to take a good bath.
âCannonball!â Without even thinking of taking off her clothes, Lia, with a wide grin, dived into the pool of the fountain, splashing water in all directions.
Her brother was quick to follow and did the same. Laughter and playful splashing filled the 'Heavenly Cup.'
âAhhh... I really needed this,â exclaimed Lia, lying on her back on the water, speaking like a salaried worker finally on vacation.
After laughing and playing in the water, Lia finally felt relaxed. Taking a good bath in a pool always relaxed the mind, as her mother used to tell her, and she was right.
Slowly, she began to take off all her clothes with her magic, placing all her garments on one of the pedestals of the fountain. Contrary to common sense, Liaâs clothes were barely wet, thanks to the expensive materials they were made of.
Yes, Lia and her brother belonged to a very wealthy social class.
Suddenly, water splashed onto Lia, and she turned her gaze to the other side of the fountain.
âSHARK! SHARK! SHARK!â Kit shouted as he dived into the water again and again, creating playful waves.
âHey Kit, I want to rest, so⌠DONâT BOTHER ME, OKAY?â
âHuh? Yeah, sure, whatever you say⌠SHARK! SHARK! SHARK!â her brother replied nonchalantly.
Lia rolled her eyes, put on some sunglasses, and lay back on the water again. Her gaze fixed on the hallâs ceiling. There was no point in thinking about her brother; all she wanted to do at that moment was rest...
A cloud began to slowly cross the sky, beyond the glass ceiling... splashes could be heard in the distance.
Peace... so much peace... Lia thought as her senses began to numb.
Another cloud started crossing the sky... the splashes sounded even further away.
"Peace, enjoy every moment of this peace..." Lia thought, finally closing her eyelids.
There were no clouds in the sky anymore, nor any worries related to her brother...
Suddenly, a deafening roar resounded beside her. "SHARKKKK!" someone shouted, making Lia let out a shriek and dive underwater for a moment. Upon emerging, she found her brother laughing on one side.
"Kit! I told you not to bother me!"
"Ah, yeah, but it's getting late, Lia; we should go somewhere else."
"What do you mean late? I just..." Lia stopped and looked around in surprise. Kit was right. The sunlight was slanting several degrees on the hall walls, showing how late it had gotten.
"Oh... How much time has passed?" Lia asked aloud, still not understanding what had just happened.
"Like two hours, I think. Hehe, you fell asleep like a log again! You're just like Grandma, even when you snore," Kit laughed at his sister.
"Wait... was I snoring?" Lia responded, uneasy.
"Yup, like a drill, heehee!"
Lia blushed. A few days ago, she and her family had gone to the theater, where she had accidentally fallen asleep during the (boring) play. Soon, her snores caused such a commotion that her parents almost found out. Fortunately, her brother covered for her and ended up getting scolded himself.
"Was it very loud?" Lia asked fearfully, her ears drooping.
"Oh yeah! GROOOOOOOOOOO! hehe," Kit laughed.
Lia neither smiled nor got mad at her brother; she just looked disheartened in another direction. This was a problem she simply couldn't solve by herself. Those snores were really troubling for her. They had started to appear recently and, if everything was as her brother described, they were becoming more intense and frequent.
How would she explain it to her mother, known for having the highest standards of manners in all of Maretonia? Lia couldn't imagine confessing it to her mother without her having a panic attack. She might even end up being hospitalized.
She was left with telling her father, but he was always traveling...
A worried Lia, whose imagination was consumed by her fears, slumped down on one edge of the pool. Her brother, who had just come out of the water, was no longer laughing and was now silently watching her.
Kit didn't like seeing his sister like this. He thought about cheering her up, but nothing came to mind. After several minutes of silence and a great mental effort, Kit, who was unconsciously rummaging through his pockets, finally had an idea.
"I've got it! I've got it!" Kit exclaimed excitedly, spinning in circles and wagging his tail.
"Uhmmm? What's up?" Lia responded, coming out of her thoughts.
"Are you hungry?"
"Well, I guess a little."
"Then... how about we go to the cafeteria and try the special pastries there! Then we can... go to the forbidden section! You wanted to go there before, right?" Kit proposed, very animated, fiddling with the library's master keys.
A smile lit up Lia's face at that moment. "Mmm yes! Yes! Let's do that!"
With a leap, Lia jumped out of the pool, excited by what could be the best idea Kit had had all day. After a quick dry-off and getting dressed, both siblings hurried off down the hallway.
Aguamelon opened her eyes, feeling heavier than what a simple afternoon nap should have caused.
"Is it night already...?" she murmured, drowsy. Darkness surrounded her, and she felt... strange.
She tried to sit up, but all she managed to do was roll over on the bed she was lying in.
"Ahhh..." she groaned, feeling sleep wrap around her tightly again. The softness of her fur and the warmth of the bed only fueled her lethargy.
Slowly, she began to close her eyes again... she felt too comfortable to wake up.
"It smells so good..." she whispered, noticing the floral scent of the pillow. It was one of her favorite and very expensive perfumes. One of her friends had the same one and often used it in her personal room, which always made Aguamelon envious during their sleepovers.
"I wish I had a princess bedroom like hers too..." she complained, pressing her head further into the pillow.
Thus, Aguamelon started to drift off again, in serene tranquility...
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! IT'S TEEEEEEA TIME! WASSAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A loud ringing, accompanied by a scream similar to a strangled chicken, shattered the room's silence.
Startled, Aguamelon leaped from the bed like a frog, hitting the ceiling in the process.
"Owww!" she protested, clutching her head as she lay on the floor. "By Equestria! What's happening?!"
Around her, the commotion hadn't ended. The intense ringing didn't let up and only grew louder every moment.
Covering her ears, Aguamelon searched for the source of the unbearable noise... it didn't take long to find it despite the darkness.
A few steps behind her, barely visible, stood an elegant grandfather clock with golden hands, decorated with wild bird figures at the top, but with a large hole at the bottom from which the infernal noise emanated.
Without a second thought, Aguamelon gave the clock a vigorous kick, which, after receiving the blow, rang a few last chimes before falling silent.
"Wasa aa... aaa," was the final sound in the room before silence returned.
A panting Aguamelon lay on the floor, trying to gather her thoughts.
Then, suddenly, the room's lights turned on, revealing the place.
"Huh?" she responded, surprised, getting up and looking around.
She was wearing a dress, but she didn't pay much attention to that detail.
She was in the royal guest suite, a set of rooms featuring many luxuries befitting the kingdom's high society. Among these luxuries was an automatic light activation system, along with elegant ornamental furniture with special features like the clock she had just kicked.
Realizing where she was, an unsettling feeling filled her. Aguamelon then turned her attention to the clock.
"Oh no..." she exclaimed in distress.
The old tea-time clock now had a huge hoof-shaped dent in its middle. Not only that, thick cracks could be seen all over its surface, and its hands were no longer moving.
The magnitude of the disaster started to take shape in Aguamelon's mind.
"Calm down... it was an accident, it's not that bad... you can fix it," she began talking to herself in a panicked state, trying to reassure herself. "It's just an over 500-year-old antique with incalculable historical value and irreplaceable. Nothing you can't repair!"
As she finished those words, the old clock tilted forward and, like a mortally wounded tree, fell to the floor, scattering all its intricate inner gears across the ground.
Sitting in silence, Aguamelon smiled frozenly, watching the clock's body lying there. A black, oily liquid began to seep from the broken furniture, staining the floor around it. Slowly, it continued spreading until it reached Aguamelon.
The cold liquid touched her hooves, sending a shiver through her body.
Startled, Aguamelon got up and looked at her hooves.
They were stained with that thick, black liquid.
Drop by drop, the viscous liquid fell to the floor.
An accusatory silence surrounded her, as if all the furniture in that place had suddenly gained consciousness and were now observing her crime.
It was unbearable.
Driven by an irresistible force from within, Aguamelon left the room. Shortly after, she returned with a black bag, a broom, and a dustpan.
Already in the bathroom, Aguamelon scrubbed her hooves with detergent, removing all traces of dirt and oil. She splashed water on her face and then covered herself with a towel.
She stayed like that for several seconds, processing what she had just done.
Minutes earlier, she had gathered all the pieces and broken remains of the old clock and put them in a black bag, which she then placed inside her work locker.
No one would find it there.
"Everything is fine, everything is fine... you cleaned the entire place, you didn't leave any clues. If they ask what happened, tell them it got lost during the renovation..."
They would certainly ask about the clock during next week's inspection. She could play that card then...
"Noooo!" exclaimed Aguamelon, removing the towel from her face.
"You can't hide it, you have to tell the authorities. You broke the clock, accept it..." she told herself firmly, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror.
It was painful, very painful. She could already imagine the punishment that would come upon her: the scandal, the infamy, she would lose her library privileges. Even worse, she would be expelled from the society of antique lovers. Her friends in other libraries would shun her.
Aguamelon's eyes filled with tears as she thought about the dark future awaiting her. She wiped her face with the towel again.
"Do the right thing, itâs the most valuable thing..." she told herself, remembering her mentor's words.
She had destroyed a valuable part of Equestrian history. She would pay the price. That was how it had to be...
Resolved, Aguamelon's mind began to calm.
"Let's put that junk in the right place..." she said resignedly, putting on her thick glasses.
It was then that she finally noticed.
"Why am I wearing a dress?" she said to herself, looking at her reflection. She hadnât noticed it until that moment due to the state of tension she was in. Now it seemed very strange. The dress she was wearing was like the ones royalty wore.
Also...
A mysterious square card hung from her chest.
Immediately, Aguamelon removed the card and examined it.
It took her a moment to understand what was written.
"We have more evidence. We know everything. Keep quiet or we will tell all," it was written in an elegant handwriting she already knew. The card was actually a photo, and in this photo, she was sleeping in the royal suite room wearing that elegant dress.
Over the image in the photo, written in a wild and mocking handwriting, were the words: "Lazy Librarian."
Shocked, Aguamelon's memory refreshed. She recalled the argument with the children in the afternoon and the accident...
"KIT! LIA!" roared Aguamelon, unable to control the intense fury burning inside her.
In a dark hallway surrounded by old bookshelves, the atmosphere was oppressive and dusty.
"Achoo!" sneezed Lia, surrounded by a cloud of dust.
"Bless you," Kit responded immediately from up ahead, carrying a large flashlight over his head.
"I'm going to get sick... how much longer?" Lia complained.
"Not much, I think..." Kit replied, looking at the map he was holding in his hands.
The siblings had entered the large underground section that corresponded to the forbidden section of the library. Getting through the doors, heavily guarded by padlocks, hadn't been complicated since they now had the master keys from the librarian Aguamelon, giving them free access to any part of the library.
However, the path to the main rooms of that area was, to say the least, torturous for Lia. Cobwebs, moldy books, heaps of empty boxes, and puddles of waterâor some other unsanitary substanceâblocked the main hallway. But above all, there was the smell... that unbearable smell of decay.
Lia had no idea what could be causing that smell, similar to that of a dead animal. She hadn't seen any remains along the way, but with the dim light they had, it was hard for her to be sure. Another thing she didn't understand was how her brother didn't seem to care about that stench and eagerly moved ahead of her.
Maybe he was already used to such disgusting things...
"Ughhh... let's continue," Lia said with a fake smile, making a great effort to control the nausea devouring her from within.
Kit shrugged and continued on the path. The siblings advanced through the long hallway until they finally reached a more illuminated area. With their eyes clouded by the sudden brightness, it took them a moment to recognize the place.
The hallway they had entered was just one of six that made up the forbidden section of the Golden Half library. In that large intersection, the entrances to the other five hallways opened like dark, indecipherable cavernous mouths. In the middle of the intersection, large black rocks were scattered in a cordoned-off circular area. Among those enigmatic stones, a large white pedestal rose above everything else.
Above, on the high ceiling, a large chandelier of white crystals illuminated the place with a gloomy light. Accompanying that light, thin waterfalls of water dripped from the ceiling leaks, giving the place a mysterious and dark atmosphere.
"Woww," murmured Kit, excited about what could be the adventure of his life. Without thinking, he began to explore the place.
Lia, by his side, didn't feel as enthusiastic. When she learned about the existence of a forbidden section in the library, she imagined something similar to the forbidden section of the great library of Canterlot: large storage rooms of books, threatening armor, and hidden mysterious objects. All old, but clean and orderly.
The reality was entirely different. The place where she was now resembled more a catacomb than a library; she wouldn't even be surprised to find a pony skeleton by the side of the path. Everything was a mess... was what she was looking for really here?
"Lia, come! Look!" called Kit to his sister, who was staring at the destroyed books scattered on the floor.
"What...? What is it?" Lia was startled and immediately went to her brother.
Kit, who had climbed the short staircase leading to the pedestal in the middle of the rocks, was now jumping excitedly, pointing to an old low wooden lectern hidden behind the pedestal.
"Could this be it?" Lia exclaimed excitedly upon recognizing the curious piece of furniture in front of her.
"Yesssss, it sure is! It even has that weird name!" Kit responded, jumping with enthusiasm and pointing to the golden label at the base of the lectern.
What Kit and Lia had found was none other than a 'Readingdoscope'.
Throughout Equestria, there were very few of these incredible magical artifacts. Created in a more imaginative era, 'Readingdoscopes' had served as teaching tools, creating pocket realities where the reader could enter a book and live its written story firsthand. They were very popular tools among scholars and sages in the past, but with the rise of new technologies and the complexity of manufacturing these devices, 'Readingdoscopes' fell out of use and were almost forgotten.
So few operational examples remained in Equestria that they could be counted on a pony's hooves. The most famous of them was in the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest.
Lia smiled from ear to ear. The unpleasant journey she had to take to get there had been worth it.
"What are you waiting for? Get it out!" she ordered her brother impatiently.
"Oh, right!" Kit immediately pulled out a comic book.
Igniting the magic in her horn, Lia, without hesitation, took the comic and pushed her brother aside. Excited, she placed the comic on top of the 'Readingdoscope'.
A sudden magical light enveloped the lectern, removing the dust around it. Faint vibrations began to travel from its base, like an old device coming back to life after a long time.
The siblings, thrilled, watched as the magic began to flood the comic, making its pages glow. The atmosphere was filled with tension, growing more intense with the light emanating from the comic.
Lia smiled with satisfaction; it was just as they had described. Soon, her greatest wish would come true!
Responding to Lia's wishes, the comic suddenly opened, and a beam of light revealed a crack between its pages, like a portal to another world.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! It works!" Lia exclaimed, jumping. "Gacha World is ours!"
Her brother, no less enthusiastic, jumped beside her, infected by his sister's excitement.
"Let's go, we have to enter before...! Huh?" Lia didn't finish speaking.
Without warning, the intense light of the 'Readingdoscope' went out, and the entire magical atmosphere disappeared as if a giant had blown it out.
The siblings, stupefied, silently stared at the now motionless and ordinary lectern.
"Ho ho," Kit exclaimed, surprised.
"No, no, no, no," Lia shouted in anguish, jumping onto the 'Readingdoscope'. She quickly took out the comic and placed it back in its spot.
The 'Readingdoscope' began to shine again, but then it suddenly went out.
"Maybe you're putting it wrong..."
"Of course not! I'm putting it right! Did you do something before? Did you hit it?" Lia turned angrily towards her brother.
"No, no, I didn't do anything to it, really. Well, it had a stone on top and dead insects, so I thought you didn't like those things and..."
"Ahhh!" Lia exclaimed, frustrated, trying to control herself. She took a deep breath and began to think quickly. Ignoring her distracted brother, the filly started to circle the 'Readingdoscope', looking for any damage on the artifact. She didn't believe Kit had accidentally broken it, but it could have had some previous damage...
As she examined it, she noticed that the 'Readingdoscope' was, in fact, in very good condition, but she also noticed something else.
"Was that there before?" she asked suddenly, interrupting Kit's long-winded speech.
"Uh... yeah, that was already there. They're just chains," Kit replied, noticing the chains that bound the lower part of the artifact.
"Huh?" Lia, suspicious, lit up the chains with the light from her horn to see them better.
The chains, which at first glance seemed ordinary, suddenly glowed with a bluish tint. Between each of their links, there appeared to be a glowing... magical connection.
Lia extended her hoof and touched them.
"Yikes!" The little unicorn jumped back, thrown away.
"Lia, Lia, Lia, what happened?" Kit was scared and immediately approached his sister.
"Nothing, nothing, it felt like electricity..."
"Are they electric chains?" Kit asked, surprised.
"No... they're magical," Lia replied, understanding the purpose of the chains.
Lia's good intuition began to shape what was really happening. That 'Readingdoscope' was operational, but precisely because of that, to prevent misuse, the elders had probably sealed it with enchanted chains that dissipated magic.
Lia was sure; those chains were blocking the magic of the 'Readingdoscope.'
"Of course, that's it. Kit! Those chains are magical. They're breaking the magical flow of the 'Readingdoscope.'"
"Ahhhhh," Kit responded awkwardly, looking at the chains unsure of what to do.
"We need to cut them!" Lia continued, frustrated by her brother's slow thinking.
"Sure! Leave it to me. I'll cut them like butter," Kit replied confidently. Immediately, the young colt pointed his horn at the chains and, after some exaggerated expressions of concentration, launched a sharp beam of magic at the chains.
The chains glowed for a moment and then... nothing.
They hadn't even warmed up.
A smiling Kit nervously looked at his sister. "I think they're a bit tough, hahaha..."
"I noticed," Lia replied indifferently. She looked around. She wasn't going to give up; there were many things around that they could use to break those chains...
In the basement of the Golden Half library, that pair of siblings continued with their reckless and dangerous mischief.
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 buildingâs 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" wasnât strong enough. She was terrified.
The fact that the mischievous Galaringmareina siblings had repeatedly broken the libraryâs 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 Fillydelphiaâno, perhaps all of Equestriaâwas 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 wasnât 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 canât break, other than the chains?"
"Hey, Iâm not doing it on purpose, Lia! Itâs your fault for bringing all this old and... uh... useless stuff!" Kit retorted clumsily.
"My fault?! Iâm the only one whoâs been looking for something useful to break the chains."
"Iâve 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. "Thereâs nothing left... except for a can of... uh, multipurpose grease?"
"Multipurpose grease?" Lia repeated, puzzled.
"Yeah, look at it yourself. Weird, huh? I didnât 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 lubricantâs greenish hue shifted to a bright orange.
Lia smiled, satisfied. This was exactly what they needed.
"Abrasive..." she murmured, recalling the greaseâs instructions. "Kit, try cutting the chains again."
"Huh...? Are you sure?" Kit asked, hesitant.
"Yes, Iâm 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, itâs 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 didnât finish his sentence. Lia pushed past him, nearly shoving him aside as she placed her comic on the deviceâs 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 Libraryâs basement, just before being consumed by a blinding beam of light.
"You ruined it!"
"I didnât ruin anything, I was just making it better!"
"Thatâs not true!"
"Enough!"
Seated at her elegant desk in the late hours of the afternoon, the illustrious Dayan Melody, head of the Golden Half Library, observed sternly the two fillies seated in detention before her.
On one side, a young filly with purple fur and a white mane averted her gaze toward a corner of the room with evident disdain. She adopted the nonchalant air typical of her age, but her gestures betrayed a clear refusal to reconcile with her companion.
Her companion, much younger, stood out with her light yellow coat, now tinged with a reddish hue from anger. Though she mimicked the other fillyâs posture, her expression was noticeably more bitter and serious, reflecting the intensity of her emotions.
Dayan Melody sighed, though only inwardly. She knew both girls well, especially the younger one, whom she held in high regard. However, her duty at that moment demanded impartiality.
"Aguamelon, my dear, tell me: why did you throw a book at your classmate?" Dayan asked, her voice calm yet firm.
"I didnât do that!" Aguamelon retorted, her fiery tone brimming with indignation.
"You did! It hit me on the head, and it still hurts!" corrected the other filly vehemently, touching a hoof to the small bump on her forehead. Her exaggerated movements underscored the pettiness of the injury.
"Thatâs not what happened! I threw a box of books at you! Thatâs completely different!"
"You could have killed me!"
"Silence, both of you!" Dayan Melody ordered, her sharp tone echoing through the room. The two fillies immediately quieted down, though their stubborn postures remained.
After a few moments of silence, Dayan rephrased her question.
"Aguamelon, why did you throw a box of books at your classmate?"
"Because she ruined my Hearthâs Warming Eve storybook!" Aguamelon protested without hesitation, her voice thick with fury.
"Itâs not your book! Itâs mine now..." the other filly began to reply but stopped short under the icy glare of the librarian.
Satisfied she had regained control, Dayan continued in a more measured tone.
"Aguamelon, I understand you participated in todayâs anonymous gift exchange, fully aware of the rules. You personally gave this book as a gift to your classmate and told your peersâand meâhow excited you were to take part in this activity for the first time. Tell me, is there something you didnât like? Why are you claiming as yours something you willingly gave away?"
Aguamelonâs face darkened. Her usual melon-colored complexion deepened to a dark orange, reflecting her growing frustration.
"Gifts are meant to be cared for, not ruined! She doesnât deserve such a great book; sheâs a..."
"Aguamelon!" Dayan Melody interrupted firmly, cutting off the hurtful words about to escape. Though her face was stern, she was inwardly surprised; she had never seen Aguamelon lose control like this.
Across the desk, the rebellious young filly shrank in her seat, intimidated by the reprimand. Her delicate face displayed a mix of anger and fear as her ears drooped in nervousness.
A brief but heavy silence filled the room. The distance between teacher and student was palpable, and it pained Dayan deeply. After a tense moment, she turned her attention to the book at the center of the conflict, lying on the desk. She opened it and began leafing through it.
"This is a very old book..." she noted as she examined its contents. "A first edition, very well cared for, that has passed through many hooves and has... recently been altered on its final pages."
She paused, visibly uncomfortable, to point out some unusual pages that had been carelessly inserted into the book. The damage was undeniable.
"She defaced it!" exclaimed Aguamelon indignantly.
"Thatâs not true. I just added more pages with characters from the stories to make them more fun to read," the other filly replied proudly.
"Adding ugly doodles and stickers counts as adding characters?"
"Greenside isnât an ugly doodle! Heâs a monster with feelings! He has a deep story!"
"A deep story? Where is this story? Are you referring to those babyish dialogues you scribbled in?" Aguamelon retorted sharply, while Dayan Melody raised an eyebrow as she examined the nonsensical heart-shaped dialogues accompanying the bookâs altered illustrations.
"Theyâre not babyish dialogues! Theyâre an original story... with an original language!" the accused filly tried to defend herself, her face flushing a deep red. "Greenside has a special way of speaking!"
Despite the intensity of her defense, it was clear she was improvising. Seated at her desk, Dayan Melody refrained from interrupting this time, observing her students carefully.
Noticing her teacherâs attention, Aguamelon seemed to gain confidence. A sly smile curved her lips.
"Oh, I see... so itâs an original story in a very special language? Very well. In that case, why donât you share it with all the other girls at the next group reading session?" she suggested, a shadow of malice darkening her expression.
"You wouldnât dare!" the accused filly responded, her voice betraying fear for the first time.
"Why not? As the president of the Golden Half Libraryâs Youth Reading Club, itâs my duty to share 'serious' and 'deep' stories with all the members. Iâm sure theyâll be thrilled to hear it," Aguamelon said, reclining confidently in her seat, certain the argument was now resolved in her favor.
The blush on the accused filly's face deepened as her eyes desperately sought the one person who could either save or doom her.
"Drawing pictures is also a serious way to tell a story, isnât it, Miss Melody?" she asked, her voice tinged with both pleading and doubt.
"Itâs not in this library, is it, Miss Melody?" Aguamelon pressed firmly, convinced of the response she expected to hear.
But Dayan Melody, having heard enough, surprised both fillies with her answer.
"It is in this library," she stated resolutely.
The accused fillyâs eyes sparkled with relief at those words. Meanwhile, Aguamelonâs face froze, as if still processing what she had just heard.
"Encouraging creativity in ponies seeking to learn and express themselves, whether through writing or drawing, is one of the Golden Half Libraryâs core values," Dayan Melody continued calmly.
"But, but..." stammered Aguamelon, incredulous, trying to regain her footing.
Dayan interrupted her without hesitation:
"We also promote respect among members, including recognizing each other's personal property."
"But the book isnât..." Aguamelon attempted to protest, but her teacherâs words, now directed squarely at her, struck her like spears.
"Your classmate obtained this book fairly during the gift exchange, an activity with clear rules respected by everyone. From the moment she received it, its care and use became her responsibility. While I may question how sheâs managing that responsibility, I see it as a valuable opportunity for her to express her ideas in her own way."
Aguamelon said nothing further, frozen in place as though her world had come crashing down around her.
"Aguamelon, you committed a serious violation by attacking your classmate in the library. As outlined in the rules of conduct, you will face consequences. However, I wonât determine the punishment now; first, weâll have a meeting with your parents..."
Dayan Melody continued speaking, but her words seemed to fade into the background for Aguamelon. Suddenly, without warning, the young filly stood up from her seat and, in a fit of rage, yelled:
"Youâre a stupid teacher!"
Without another word, she bolted for the exit, slamming the door behind her with a bang that left everyone in the room stunned.
The silence that followed was deafening.
After several seconds, still seated, Aguamelonâs classmate broke the tense moment with a snort.
"She has another book just like this one. And more. She has a ton of those books! I donât get why sheâs so upset about this one."
Dayan Melody, now alone with the other filly, kept her gaze fixed on the closed door. The fear that her cherished student might never walk through it again weighed on her like a silent shadow.
She felt a tingling sensation on her face. It wasnât painful, but rather⌠refreshing.
Lying flat on her back on the ground, Aguamelon had opened her eyes and was now watching the snow falling over her.
It was snow; she recognized it immediately: the white sky above her, the pale specks drifting through the cold air, the vapor of her breath. All these sensations and clues convinced her mind that she was lying in the yard of her home, under a light snowfall.
"Tomorrow is the group reading meeting⌠I need to prepare a gift for Miss Melody and my classmates⌠chocolate cookies will do," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the sky.
The cold snow awakened nostalgic memories within her. Once again, she felt like a young filly enjoying the leisure of a winter afternoon. Just what she needed before diving into a deep night of reading.
At home. Comfortably at home, without any responsibilities. Was there anything better?
Or perhaps⌠was there anything worse?
Suddenly, Aguamelonâs adult mind stirred. Remembering everything at once, an intense wave of anxiety coursed through her body. Even without being fully aware of herself, she reacted instinctively and scrambled to her hooves, finding herself in an unfamiliar setting.
There was snowâlots of itâcovering everything: vegetation, trees, and mountainsâŚ
"HaaaâŚ" Aguamelon felt utterly lost. Memories of the mischievous young ponies at the library clashed with the confusion of the scene around her. Her unfocused gaze wandered in several directions until it finally landed on something unusual.
Amid the wild, wintry landscape, a massive red post stood out, its colorful sign pointing toward a nearby destination.
"Happy-Hugs Village?" she read aloud, so bewildered that she barely recognized her own voice.
Aguamelonâs quick mind went to work immediately. That single clue was all she had, but it was enough to prompt an internal search, and with some effort, she managed to reach a rapid conclusion about what might be happening.
After pondering several times to be certain, Aguamelon sighed. She recognized the name of the place and knew exactly where she was.
Or rather, where she wasnât.
Surrounded by snow under a white sky, Aguamelon was entirely convinced: she was definitely away from home.
