Twilight was reading a book.

It wasn’t like reading a book was a strange occurrence for her. In fact, it was quite the opposite, as anyone who knew Twilight would know.

But this was not just any book. This was the one and only limited edition copy of the complete works of Theories and Field Notes of Starswirl the Bearded. It was kind of a big deal.

For the last few hours when everyone in Ponyville was asleep, she had been in the same corner of her study room in the upstairs of the Library, curled up under the glow of a single lamp. A small fireplace was keeping her warm from the Autumn Wind blowing outside. Glancing at the clock, she acknowledged that she should have been asleep hours ago, but this particular book was too good to put down. For Twilight, reading was one of her biggest passions, and to simply have the time to curl up and bury her muzzle in a good book was far more gratifying than sleep.

A sound from the library below briefly caught her attention; as if someone was rapping on a window. It’s got to be the wind, she thought. The idea of someone other than herself so desperately needing to borrow a book from the library at this hour was absolutely preposterous. Shrugging it off, she returned to reading.

The sound came again, gently at first, but it soon became a desperate knocking. Twilight yet again indignantly ignored what had to be a branch knocking against a window to focus on the chapter entitled Magical Physics. Starswirl’s knowledge on rudimentary physics and magical properties was impeccable for a Pony who lived long before the application of modern sciences. The sheer thought of some of the things he was proposing sent shivers of joy up Twilight’s spine.

Before Twilight had time to ponder this any more, or to realize the knocking against her window had stopped, there came a sudden loud crash from the library below, in the direction of the window that had previously been rattling.

Knowing Spike was fast asleep and would refuse to get up, a frustrated Twilight begrudgingly clambered up from her comfortable position to scurry to the stairs, her book in tow under a field of levitation magic. Down in her meticulously cleaned library, in a flurry of feathers, rainwater, leaves, and broken glass was Rainbow Dash.

“Dash!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing down the stairs to her friend’s aid, picking pieces of glass from her mane.

“Heh... sorry Twi! Your door was locked and you weren’t answering, so…” Rainbow Dash was quick to her hooves, brushing debris from her coat and wincing at a few minor cuts and bruises. Silently, she was thankful she hadn’t severely injured anything other than her pride. She eyed Twilight, who had stopped pulling dirt and glass from her mane and had hurriedly gone off to a closet to find a towel.

“I’m fine, Twi. Honest. Just a little bruised.” She was quickly met with a sharp glare as Twilight levitated a towel around her shoulders.

“Why did you think that would be a good idea, Rainbow? Were you even thinking?”

“Well, uh... normally it’s unlocked, but I guess not. But you know me; the fearless Rainbow Dash, mare of action! You have to admit, I totally beat that window!” Rainbow Dash struck a confident pose, chin lifted high.

Twilight rolled her eyes and let out a tense breath she didn’t know she was even holding in since she found the pegasus sprawled out in her library. The shutters were quickly shut on the broken window, ceasing the flow of the fierce wind, and Twilight set her book aside.

“It’s fine, Dash, I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. So what did you need to see me for?” Twilight relaxed slightly, but still looked rather annoyed at the sudden intrusion. Didn’t Dash think she’d be busy, or sleeping? Sometimes, Dash just didn’t think, as Twilight and her friends fully knew. As for now, Dash still seemed to be desperately picking up whatever pieces of pride she still had left as she attempted to compose herself.

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash blinked, briefly forgetting why she had burst through the window in the first place, causing Twilight to roll her eyes again.

“Oh, right... remember the time you said I was welcome to come read in your library with you any time?” Dash her trademark grin, and Twilight was unable to stifle a groan.

“I remember, Rainbow, but I definitely didn’t mean at this hour! Why don’t you come back tomorrow during the day?”

“But I only just got off work, Twi. I was kinda hoping you still might have time. I-it’s cool, though. Maybe another time…” Rainbow Dash’s ears flopped back against her skull and she reluctantly stepped away, intending to head to the door. With a pang of guilt over how quickly she had pushed her away, Twilight stepped forward. She simply couldn’t bear to see her friend this way.

“Rainbow, wait,” she sighed, “I was actually just reading one of my new books. If you’d like, you could join me with one of yours?” Dash’s face lit up. It was immediately apparent to Twilight that her intruding at this hour might be slightly more than she was letting on, and a desperate hunger for knowledge. Maybe she just wanted some company?

As Twilight wandered into the kitchen to make them some tea, Rainbow Dash stretched out in front of the larger fireplace in the main library to warm up, shaking the water out of her mane. In her head, Twilight was listing all the possible situations of what might be bothering Rainbow, or was making her act strange: she considered a sudden loss; guilt for something she had forgotten or said to Twilight; or an upcoming written exam with the weather patrol. As far as Twilight knew, there hadn’t been any deaths in Ponyville for quite some time, Rainbow Dash hadn’t done anything to upset Twilight recently, and the weather patrol didn’t actually do written tests. In the end, nothing Twilight could think of made sense.

Eventually, she gave up trying to guess and returned to the main room to sit next to Rainbow, floating two cups of tea in front of them. Rainbow Dash gave her an appreciative smile and scooted over to give her space. They sipped in silence for a few minutes, gazing into the fire.

“Is... something bothering you Rainbow?” Twilight suddenly cut in, breaking the fragile silence with a concerned gaze. Rainbow faltered for a moment, shifting from side to side.

“Pff, of course not! Why would I be... I’m Rainbow Dash! Nothing brings me down!” She tried to look authentic, but her voice sounded hollow.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, and it was enough to break Rainbow’s resolve. Dash hung her head and her expression softened drastically.

“I’m... I’m just lonely, Twi. I’ve been working so much in the last couple of weeks preparing for Autumn that I haven’t had any time to see friends. It’s really been bumming me out. That’s... it, I guess.” The fearless Rainbow Dash was now awkwardly staring at the floor, her wings shuffling. Twilight was quick to sweep her up in a warm hug.

“I’m proud of you for telling me that, Dash. You know I’m always here to listen. We’ll just have to figure out a way that doesn’t involve you crashing through my window next time. Now, let’s get to reading! I think the Daring Do collection is still over there. I’ve been dying to finish this.” Her copy of Theories and Field Notes levitated in front of her as Dash laid back down with her legs splayed out, settling in with Daring Do and the Temple of the Crystal Ponies spread out in front of her forehooves.

“Thanks, Twi.” Dash gave her a small nuzzle against her neck, looking much better now that she had that off her chest. Curiously, she leaned over to inspect what Twilight was reading.

“That looks boring.” Dash snickered, leaning over even further to peer at a diagram she couldn’t understand. Twilight snorted.

“Oh no! This book details a comprehensive study of magic long before any of the established sciences. It’s fascinating! In fact, it’s often regarded as a pinnacle piece in the movement of--” She was suddenly cut off by a bout of laughter from Rainbow Dash.

“Exactly. That’s boring!” Dash giggled, soon met with Twilight’s own laughter as she joined in. She had to admit, the way she just described it sounded pretty boring. Maybe she just liked boring things? As Twilight fell deep in thought, she barely noticed how Rainbow Dash had stopped chuckling, or that she had casually wriggled herself closer. It was only when Rainbow’s mane brushed against hers that the position registered with Twilight, and she grinned. This was uncharacteristic, especially for Dash.

“Comfortable?” She whispered. Dash simply nodded. The storm outside had worsened, bearing down against the side of the treehome. With the broken window, the cold wind seemed a thousand times worse, creeping in through the cracks in the shutter. Twisting her head around, Twilight spotted a blanket on her couch, quickly levitating it over to drape across them both.

“Yeah. Thanks for this. It’s... nice,” Dash remarked, attention buried into her book. Did Rainbow really just say that? It surely was nice to be curled up next to a good friend in front of the fire, but for Dash to use a word so simple was almost unheard of.

Dismissing her thoughts, Twilight returned to her own book. She had just started reading a very interesting segment that was totally not boring by Twilight’s standards, when Rainbow Dash suddenly leaned her head against her shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant by flipping to the next page and focusing hard on reading it. Caught by surprise yet again, Twilight gave Rainbow a sideways glance, and smiled. Rainbow sure has a funny way of showing affection, she thought.

Dash yawned, the light of the fire casting shadows across her face that made her look tired and old, though Twilight knew only one of those was true. After a few minutes, Dash had closed her eyes and Twilight was sure she had heard a snore. She turned to the side and nudged Dash, who didn't respond. She was fast asleep.

Unphased, Twilight kept reading for a short while more until she started to yawn herself. Giving in to sleep, she set her book aside and rested her chin on her forehooves and drifted off.

Author's Notes:

Had an urge to write, so I decided to experiment with writing something I had no plan on, and to try a narrative distinctly different from Scootaloo's.
I literally started with the line 'Twilight was Reading a Book' and went from there.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Impartial to it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!