Twilight's POV

"Hmm, now let's see here"

The library was the best place I could think of to spend this free period. To me, knowledge is just everything... but of course not everything.

I searched and searched the shelves for a particular book, one that I never found the time to conclude. At last, now would be the perfect opportunity to finish it.

"Aha!" I exclaimed triumphantly, almost too loudly, when my eyes landed on the book. Quantum Physics!

Honestly, I've read this about ten times already, but imagine the shock on my face when I realized there was a chapter in the book I hadn't read yet. Even though they didn't seem that bothered, my friends were genuinely surprised that I had actually missed a detail like that. But never again! I am not leaving another page unturned.

"So close," I thought, reaching out for the book. Once I grasped it, it was as if celestial lights illuminated the room; almost as if I could hear divine music as well. Perhaps it was peculiar, but this was such a significant moment for me, and nothing could spoil—

"Hey Twilight"

"Gaaahhh!" I was startled, causing the book page to fall flat on the ground. So much for preserving the moment. Why did this have to happen—

"Uh, Twilight?," the same voice called out my name again in a familiar raspy tone. I swiftly turned around to see none other than the rainbow-haired scum... Just kidding.

She had her backpack hung on her left shoulder and a football in her grasp. Of course, her signature wristbands that couldn't be missed. My scrunched up facial expression turned to a perplexed look as she looked at me with a cocked eyebrow, throwing her football up lightly and catching it each time.

"Rainbow Dash?, I thought detention wasn't over until another hour or two?," I asked while glancing at the clock and back at her.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "If you hadn't noticed, I got out early. Thought you were supposed to be smart," she lightly punched me in the elbow with a laugh. Man did that hurt.

"Oww! Was that really necessary?", I yelped with a whimper. As I glared at her , she just shrugged. "Well duhh, you are the egghead afterall," she replied smugly.

"I told you to stop calling me that, I'm not an egghead," I huffed while the scum laughed. At that moment, our teacher Miss Cheerilie walked up to both of us with both hands on her hips.

"You girls do remember that this is a library right?," she questioned us with furrowed brows and a frown. As a matter of fact, I did forget. Judging from the unapologetic look on Rainbow Dash's face, I'm pretty sure she didn't.

"We're very sorry ma'am, rest assured that this won't happen again," I assured her. It was my turn to nudge Rainbow Dash, gesturing for her to say something. All she could utter was, "Yeah, what she said." Miss Cheerilee simply nodded and walked away, likely pondering how she constantly endures this kind of situation nearly every day.

Well then

"Wait, what's that?," Rainbow Dash asked as she pointed to the floor. I followed her gaze and gasped, "My book!," I shrieked, in a low voice. In a flash, I swooped up the book back in my arms, like it was the most precious thing in the world... Am I wrong though?

"Quantum Physics? Again? You really are an egghead," Rainbow Dash continued to taunt me further.

"Remind me how we became friends again," I said, facepalming.

"Uh, the Friendship Games?" Her statement sounded more like a question. The questioning look she gave me was rather annoying, as if she was telepathically trying to imply I was stupid. The nerve of this girl...

Turning back, I was yet to walk away from her when I remembered something. "Hey Rainbow Dash, that reminds me. How were you late for class yesterday?," I scrunched up an eyebrow

She seemed puzzled by my question, "What do you mean?"

"Well I saw what time you arrived at school yesterday, you were only three minutes till your first class. How in the world did you end up being ten minutes late?"

Rainbow Dash stared blankly for a moment before looking back. "No reason."

"No reason? You're obviously hiding something," I pointed out, she didn't seem too amused this time around so I decided to let it slide.

"You know what? Not important. On another note, why're you even in the library? It's one of your least favourite places in school... for reasons I'll never understand," I mumbled the last bit.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

She stared at me suspiciously before shrugging, "I borrowed math notes from AppleJack so I've been looking for her to return it, and haven't seen her yet. Came here to check but no such luck, just you," she replied nonchalantly.

"Well ouch," I felt slightly offended, but only for a moment.

"Plus, if I don't return it she's literally gonna end me", Rainbow shuddered a bit before continuing, "I also need to find Fluttershy. I may have borrowed something of hers too", She added as she chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Did you not come prepared for school at all?"

"Nope."

That was... straight-forward.

"Typical," I rolled my eyes. "Well you're not any better, egghead", she retorted matter-of-factly, pointing at my book again.

"Okay fine, fair point," I admitted, chuckling a bit as Rainbow Dash cracked a small grin. She glanced up at the clock and gasped, "Shoot, gotta go Twilight. See ya later," She quickly said as she rushed out the door. Now that that's over with, I can finally focus on my book.

I plopped down on the nearest chair I could find, instantly relaxing as I flipped through the pages.

*~*~*~*~*~*

CJ's POV

I remembered when Sunset mentioned something about a library during that tour yesterday, so I decided to check it out. Although, there was a slight complication...

I forgot where it was!

The reason being because even as I was offered to be taken there, I thought there would be time to see the place some other day...But amusingly, it's today. Of course, the most logical option would be to ask someone for directions. Can't say I'm looking forward to that.

Scanning the school, I concluded on asking the first person that walks by. My gaze then landed on a girl that seemed to be in a hurry. She also had a football in her hands, so I figured she was a part of the school's soccer team, assuming they have one. But now isn't the time for assumptions or hypotheses.

I thought of asking someone else because she seemed so eager to get somewhere, but since she was heading in my direction, I gave it a shot.

"Uh, excuse me? I'm trying to get to the school library", I voiced out to her as she kept running. Luckily, she looked back at my direction and stopped for a moment before quickly saying, "On the other side of the hallway, there's like a room with a big sign that has "Library" written over it. Can't miss it," she smiled at that last part. With that, she dashed away whilst avoiding any collision with the other students standing in the hallways.

For some reason, I felt a little deja-vú like as if something similar to that had happened recently. And to be honest, she seemed oddly familiar...

After snapping out of my thoughts, I followed the given directions to the exact door and sign. It was a bit of a long walk—well three minutes actually—but I made it. I stood before the entrance and froze, reconsidering if this was a good idea.

"C'mon CJ, don't back out now"

Taking the time to muster up a bit of courage, I breathed in deeply before walking in. "Here goes nothing", I muttered. As I stepped inside, I stood in complete awe.

It was massive!

I wasn't even aware of the breath that I still had held in. But truly, the library was a sight to behold! From it's stupendous circular arrayed shelves to the computer systems below the staircase which the students were using for research. I have never seen so many books in all my-

Snap out of it.

Oh right, I wasn't here to gawk. Miss Cheerilie gave the class a history assignment due in three days. It isn't much of a big deal, but I thought of starting off early to show some commitment. And me having little to no desire to be in school shouldn't stop me from at least trying with my academics, afterall.

I made my way over to the shelves and searched for the history section. “Advanced History Volume 6,” I muttered to myself, scanning the spines. That was the book I needed. Finding it, though? Apparently, that was a lot harder than I expected. If only I could snap my fingers and have it jump into my hands.

"The last of that volume was already borrowed by someone else," someone piped up out of nowhere.

I blinked, turning to my side to see a girl with purple skin and dark indigo hair streaked with pink and violet. Her bangs neatly framed her forehead, and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She looked oddly familiar, though it took me a second to place where I’d seen her before.

“Huh?” My thoughts were spinning too fast, and I’d completely blanked on what she said.

“The book you’re looking for—it’s already checked out,” she repeated, looking just a little embarrassed. “I kinda overheard you talking to yourself.”

“Great,” I sighed under my breath. Nothing like narrating my own failure for an audience.

“Oh,” I added after a beat, my tone flatter than I intended. I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Fantastic. No book, no excuse to keep hiding in here.

“By the way,” she continued, adjusting her glasses. “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you around before.”

I shrugged, trying to keep my voice casual. “Uh, yeah.”

“What’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked with an easy smile. Do I mind? Probably not.

“CJ Sapphire.”

“Nice name, CJ. I’m Twilight Sparkle, but you can just call me Twilight,” she introduced herself, standing and offering a handshake. I hesitated but shook it anyway. At this point, it felt like a mandatory ritual or something.

“Thanks. But now what?” I frowned, glancing back at the empty spot where the book should have been. “Guess I’ll check back tomorrow, though for some reason, I don’t really feel like leaving yet.”

I caught a flicker of something—understanding, maybe?—in the corner of her eye before she spoke. “I know exactly how you feel. Happens to me all the time.”

That earned her a small, involuntary smile from me.

She looked up thoughtfully at the ceiling, then grinned like she’d just discovered a secret. “Actually… there’s another way you could use that book. Follow me.”

I blinked as she motioned toward the center of the room. “Uh, okay?” Not like I had any better ideas, and she clearly knew her way around here more than I did.

She led me straight to the computers on the first floor, which… confused me. I raised an eyebrow. “Um, I’m lost. What exactly am I supposed to do here?”

Twilight looked moments away from facepalming but settled for shaking her head. “What I mean is, you can use the school computer to find an e-book copy of Advanced History. I do it all the time.”

“Ohhh.” I blinked, feeling my cheeks warm just a little. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Twilight smirked. “Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.”

“You offering tech support, then?” I asked, more sarcastic than serious.

“Of course! Would you like some help? I’m really well-read in history,” she offered enthusiastically, sliding into the chair beside mine.

I hesitated, narrowing my eyes slightly. “But… you just met me. Why are you helping me?”

Twilight chuckled like I’d just said something silly. “First of all, I love homework.” Her eyes practically sparkled at the word—concerning, to say the least. “Second, I just like helping people. Especially when they don’t realize they need it yet.”

“But—”

“I don’t need to know you personally to want to help,” she said simply, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I didn’t know what to say to that. Instead, I muttered a quiet “Thank you” and sat down, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s not a problem,” she replied, already pulling up tabs on the computer.

From there, we got to work. I had to hand it to Twilight—she knew her stuff. She guided me through the e-book, pulled up references I hadn’t even thought of, and casually threw in historical trivia like it was a conversation starter. She even cracked a few history-themed puns, which I pretended to roll my eyes at but secretly found kind of funny.

By the time we wrapped up, I’d learned more about medieval politics than I’d ever planned on.

“There we go, all done!” Twilight said, shutting down the active applications with a triumphant click.

“Wow… thanks, Twilight. I really appreciate it.” I surprised myself with the sincerity in my voice.

“Always happy to help,” she grinned. Then, with a more observant look, she added, “You know, you have this weird vibe. Like you want to be here, but you don’t. Your body language says it all.”

I froze slightly, not expecting her to call me out like that. “I guess so,” I admitted, trying to sound casual. “I’m only here for academic purposes. Nothing else.”

“Not even friends?” she asked, curiosity flickering across her face.

“Not even friends,” I sighed, turning away slightly.

She was quiet for a moment, then gave me a small, understanding smile. “It’s okay, I get it. Trust me, though—you’ll love CHS. I had a rough time at my old school, and getting a change of scenery was… nice. You know?”

I looked at her thoughtfully before replying, “Yeah. I know the feeling.”

“Of hostility?”

I shook my head quickly. “Nah. A change of scenery.”

Before Twilight could reply, the bell rang, sending the room into chaos as students scrambled to pack up. Twilight shrieked softly, glancing toward the table she’d abandoned earlier. “Aw, come on! I forgot to finish that.”

I felt a pang of guilt. “Sorry. If you didn’t have to help me—”

“Oh, CJ, it’s not your fault,” she said, waving me off. “I’ll just read it later. Besides, I don’t regret a second of it.” She patted my shoulder as she started to leave.

Just as she reached the shelves, she glanced back, and—somehow—her book floated by itself back into place.

“Forgot to return that,” she said with an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of her neck.

I stared after her, my jaw slack. “Uh… huh.” My gaze flickered to the glowing purple geode around her neck. She’s definitely one of Sunset’s friends.

“Well, I gotta go to the chemistry lab—got a science experiment to finish!” she said, practically bouncing on her feet.

“Sounds… interesting,” I mumbled, half-meaning it.

“I know, right?” she replied brightly, already halfway out the door. “See you around, CJ! I promise—you’re gonna love it here!”

“I don’t have to love it, though,” I muttered under my breath, starting to pack my things.

As I turned to leave, a book on one of the shelves caught my eye—an adventure novel. “Huh. Wouldn’t hurt to check it out,” I said to myself, reaching for it.

That’s when a vivid flash of green light caught my attention.

I froze, glancing toward my pocket. The gemstone.

I pulled it out, my breath catching slightly as it pulsed with a brighter, more intense glow than before. Miss Cheerilee was still nearby, so I slipped outside quickly.

Staring down at the gem, I turned it over in my hand, the light reflecting off its polished surface.

“What exactly are you?” I whispered.

Third Person POV

CJ slammed her locker shut, the echo ricocheting down the emptying hallway. She glanced at the little green gemstone now tucked safely in her pocket. Whatever that thing was, it had started glowing again—like it had a mind of its own. She shook her head and muttered, "Mystery for later." Right now, she had to figure out where Room 203 was before she ended up on Principal Celestia’s bad side for being late.

She adjusted the strap of her bag and turned the corner when she heard it—a voice dripping with mockery.

“Aw, what’s the matter? Don’t like being told the truth?”

CJ slowed her steps. Up ahead, there was a student who stood towering over a younger student, a trademark smirk plastered across her face. The kid clutched their backpack tightly, looking ready to cry.

“I—I didn’t mean to bump into you, Lightning Dust,” the student stammered, their voice barely audible.

“Oh, sure you didn’t,” Lightning sneered, stepping closer. “Do you know who I am? You should really watch where you’re going.”

CJ stopped in her tracks, instinctively pulling back behind a row of lockers. Her heart thudded in her chest as she peeked around the corner.

The kid mumbled something CJ couldn’t catch, and Lightning rolled her eyes. “Pathetic,” she muttered, giving the kid a light shove toward the lockers.

CJ’s fists clenched. Her feet itched to move, to do something—but she froze. Lightning Dust was tough, brash, and clearly looking for a fight. And besides, what could she even say? It wasn’t her problem.

“Not my circus, not my monkeys,” CJ muttered under her breath, gripping the strap of her bag tighter.

She turned back, ready to walk away, but the kid’s trembling voice made her pause again. “I’m sorry… I’ll just leave…”

CJ winced. She hated herself for standing there, for letting it happen. But stepping in? That was a complication she wasn’t ready for. Instead, she quickened her pace down the hall, her mind racing.